Rotatable hydraulic nozzle.



ALEXANDER MCCOMBIE, OF GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.

ROTATABLE HYDRAULIC NOZZLE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 19, 1 911.

Application filed November 5, 1908.` Serial No. 461,197.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MGC/0M- BIE, a citizen of the l'mtedStates, residing .v T at (J1-ass kallcy, 1n the county of nevada andState ot California, have invented a new and useful ItotatableI'lydraulic Nozzle, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to nozzles for hydraulic monitors, stand pipes,water towers, or like structures in which a nozzle is connccted to andmovable with relation to its feed pipe, the object ot' my inventionbeing to provide a nozzle which is connected to the feed pipe or standpipe by a universal joint so as to allow the nozzle to have a movementof rotation around the axis of the feed pipe, and an independentrotating movement in a plane at right angles to the plane of the firstrotation. This allows the nozzle to be directed to any quarter desiredand to be elevated to any degree vertically and directed to any point ofa circle horizontally. My peculiar construction also allows the nozzleto have a complete rotary movement in any direction, the nozzle beingentirely clear and there being no obstruction with which it will contactin its movement around a complete circle. The pressure of the waterpassing through the nozzle of hydraulic apparatus of this character isvery great, and as the water has to make a right-angled turn in passingfrom the stand pipe to the nozzle, the upward strain is also great,causing the swiveling joint on which the nozzle turns to bind, holdingthe nozzle set and preventing the nozzle from being rotated in eitherplane. To overcome this dillieulty I provide a plurality of swivelingcouplings containing antifiiction balls and so construct each coulingthat one member thereof shall be lforced against the balls by the forceof the water passing through the pipes.

In the drawings, I have shown two forms of my invention, Figure 1 beinga side elevation thereof partly broken away; Fig. 2 a section on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig, 3 a section on line 3-3; Fig. 4 a section online 4-4 of Fig. l; and Fig. 5 a central longitudinal section of amodified form of couling.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

Referring to these drawings, the standpipe 2 may be part of any desiredapparatus, as for instance a water tower, fire hydrant,

or a' supply pipe of'a monitor. Into the upper end ot' the stand pipe isscrew threaded one member 3 of a coupling, the upper end of which isoutwardly flanged as at 3'. The circumferential edge of this flange isscrew threaded. The opposed member 4 ot' the coupling, is also providedat its end with an outwardly projecting flange l which is, however lessin diameter than the flange 3' and is plain or non-threaded. The member3 is held to the member 4 by a sleeve 5 screw threaded for engagementwith the screw threads of thc flange il and having an lnwardly turnedflange at the other" end which engages over the outwardly projectingflange 4' of thcmembcr. Raceways are formed in the opposed faces of theflanges 5 and 4', and anti-friction balls G are carried therein. Anannular shoulder 5 is formed on the interior of the nut 5 between theflange and the screw threaded portion whi'ch when the nut is in placeprojects over the flange 3 and engages with a packing ring T of rubber,leather or other suitable material.

It will be seen from the section of Fig. l that the upper face of the(lange 3' of the lower member 3is cut away as at 3 at the junction ofthe upper face of the llange with the central passage, and that thelower face of the flange. l' is provided with a downwardly projectingrib or hub 4 at the junction of the central passage of the member 4 withthe flange -t'. This hub or rib is coincident with the cut-away portionof the flange 3'. This respective llange and cut away portion act tobend downwardly the interior edgeV of the annular packing ring 7, but inFig. l, the space left between the cut away portion and the face of theflange '4' is greater than the thickness of the packing ring and thecurved under surface of the rib 4" acts to turn the packing ring upwardand to give it an upward bend on its inner edge, leaving a space betweenthe lower face of the packing and the up )er face of the cut-awayportion 3". The e ect of this is that when the water passes into thecoupling, the up-rush thereof and the pressure act to force the packingring upward against the rib 4 and the water enters the space between thelower face of the packing ring and the upper face of the eut awayportion 3", the water thus wedging into this space, and forcing upwardlythe member 4 against thel under face of the los .flange prcrisclysimilar to the tlange .i

flange ot' the nut. llenre thtl upward strain ol the water will he borneby the aiitil'rirtion balls f5 which permit the ronilinf iin-iiiber t torcrolw easilY within` b l f lt iii the previous arrangement, and is notrounded` as the packing ring 1T does the nut i, this iiut being to allintents and purposes a part of the coupling ineiiibci' il.

At its upper end thtl coupling member l is screw threaded foi'engagement with an elbow S whose outer end is l'oiined with api'ev'iomli described. ln this form oll my device. the coupling memberlalY is provided with tliecentral hub or annular rib ]-l` which projectsfarther than the [lange not extend over the under l'ace ol' the rib. Therib or hub is of such depth that when the parts are 1n pi'isition asshown in Fig.

5, the under face of' the rib is slightly seppreviously lt-scribed andt'oi'ins one mein-- bei' of a coupling precisely the saine as tht`couplingr heretofore described. The other member ot' this coupling isformed by the elbow tl, both members being held together by the nut 1t)which is precisely the same as the nut l. Aiitifriction balls are placedbetween the flange on the elbow t) and the inA wardly projecting tlangeof the nut 10. Thus the coupling elbow J has a movement of rotationaround the axis of the coupling elbow 8 and throughout an entire circle,just as the elbow S and' the coupling member 4 have a movement ofrotation through an entire circle around the axis of the stand pipe 2and coupling member 3. The upper end of the coupling elbow 9 has a screwthreaded engagementwitli the nozzle 11 of any ordinary description,provided in its interior with the inwardly projecting blades 11 whichact to prevent the water from returning oiA swirling within the nozzle,otherwise than this, the nozzle is formed as in any ordinary or desiredmanner.

In order to provide for the rotary movement of the coupling elbow 9 uponthe elbow S, I form the elbow 9 with a sprocketwheel or with projectingsprocket studs l2 over which it engages a sprocket chain 12 which lianesdownward or extendstoward the rear ofthe device and may be engaged byany suitable mechanism in a manner entirely obvious to those skilled inthe art whereby a movement of the sprocket chain in either directionwill rotate the couplin elbow 9 and thus rotate the sprocket `aroun theaxis of the elbow 8. By drawing this chain to one side or lthe other butnot longitudinally, the nozzle elbow 9, elbow 8 and couplin member 4'may be rotated about the axis of the stand pipe 2 and coupling 3.

In Fig. 5, I' show a modified form of -my coupling, wherein 13designates the lower coupling member equivalent to the coupling member3, a'nd 13 the outwardly pro- Jecting flange screw threaded on itsexterior and cut away as at 13". 14 designates the other member of thecoupling having the outwardly projectin flange 14 e uivalent to thefiange L am? provided wit the balls 16 on its upper surface, contactingwith the under surface of the flange 15 on the coupling 15, thiscoupling being formed with the shoulder 15, as in the coupling :li'atedtroni the upper face of' the flange 13' so as to allow liquil to enterthe space behind the rib 14". Held between the upper face of the flange13 and the shoulder on the nut 15, is the packing ring 17 whose innercircumference bears against the outer circumference of the hub or rib14". Thus a space is left between the upper face of the coupling member13 and the under face of the packing ring. The operation is practicallythe same as in the forni previously described, the water pressureforcing the water into the space between the flanges of the two couplingmembers and against the under face of the packing ring 13', forcing thispacking ring upwardly and forcing upward the coupling member 14 againstthe autifriction balls 1G, thus permitting the coupling member 14 tofreely revolve around the axis of the member 13.

It will be seen from the description that the particular advantages ofmy device reside in the fact that the nozzle may be directed to anypoint desired, whether in a vertical arc or a horizontal arc,- and thatthe pressure of the water instead of jamming or inding one coupling uponthe other, acts to permit the coup ing vmembers to have a freerevolution. It will also be seen that my form of device is very sim ale,can be easily made and is' thoroughly eilective in action.

-While I have shown a sprocket chain and sprocket for the purpose ofrevolving the nozzle, I do not wish to be limited thereto, as any othermeans may bc used for this iurpose.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation andmany advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, without further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A swivel coupling for hydraulic apparatus comprising two members inalinement one with the other and one member movable about thelongitudinal axis of the coupling with relation to the other member, therelatively fixed member constituting the Athe iian ed ends of thecouplin Vbein a jacent and the fiange o the iixed mem r extendingradially to a greater exentrance end of the couplin and the rotatablemember constitutin t e exit end of the coupling, a packing ring carriedby the fixed member of the coupling in engagement with the movablemember of the coupling, the xed member of the coupling being cut away texpose a portion of the face of the packing ring toward the entrance endof the -iuid through the coupling.

2. A swivel coupling for hydraulic apparatus comprising two Aflangedmembers,- one being relativel fixed and the other 1'0-Y tatable withrelation to the first member about the longitudinal axis of thecoupling, members tent than the flange of the rotatable member andhaving 4its peripher screw threaded, a shouldered sleeve threa ed for aplication to the threaded flan e of the fixed member and having at theen remote from its shouldered end afI-nturned fiange to overlie theHange of the `rotatable member, the said flanges of the rotatable memberand of the sleeve having formed therein race Ways, antrifriction deviceslod ed in the race* ways to constitute an anti-griction bearing for therotatable ymember of the coupling, and a packing ring held to the fixedmember by the shoulder of the sleeve applied thereto, the fixed memberconstituting the entrance end of the coupling and being cut away in-V'teriorly adjacent the other member, and the rotatable member having anannular rib adjacent its bore extending toward the other member in thedirection of the length of the coupling, the said rib engaging `thecorresponding portion of the packing ring to force it toward theentrance end of the couplin and the cut away portion of the fixed memerforming a space on the face of the packing ring toward the entrance endof the coupling to expose said packing ring to fiuid pressure in thedirection of fiow of {iuid through the coupling.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaiiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER is/iocoimsna.

Witnesses:

MICHAEL F. KELEHER,` C. C. TowNsaNo.

